The Orphanage
by Braveatheart1996
Summary: Naru accepts a case at an orphanage involving poltergeists, apparitions, murder, and a girl with PK. What could possibly go wrong? Rated T for later chapters. Contains some Mai/Naru shipping.
1. Prologue

**I figured it was about time I came up with another story. This is my first shot at a Ghost Hunt Fanfic, so I may be a little shaky when it comes to keeping everyone in character. It's also been a while since I last wrote a story, so my writing might be a little shaky too. Still, I promise to do my best. **

**I don't own Ghost Hunt. **

Prologue

It was a typical day at Shibuya Psychic Research. Lin was typing away in his office. Mai was in the kitchen making tea, and Naru was awaiting a client.

The call had come two days ago. An orphanage from a nearby town had requested a meeting. This in itself was rather unusual, seeing as a client usually just comes in to the office directly. The client had also requested discretion, meaning that none of the SPR regulars would be there that day. Only Naru, Lin and Mai would hear the details to this case.

Naru hadn't even accepted the case yet, and it was already turning into a problem.

Mai frowned as she worked on the tea. She had been the one to take the call two days ago, and she hadn't liked what she heard. It had sounded like a typical haunting, but the way the person on the other end had described it, it was almost as if she didn't believe her own words. Mai was almost positive that the client didn't believe this was a haunting. She had some other working theory. If Naru decided to take the case, this would turn into a problem.

A knocking sound caught Mai's attention, and she rushed to open the door. On the other side stood two middle-aged women. The first one smiled tightly and said "Is this Shibuya Psychic Research?"

"Yeah," Mai answered, stepping aside to grant them access. "You're from the orphanage, right? Come on in."

The two women nodded and stepped inside. Mai closed the door and led the women to the sitting area, calling out to Naru as she did to tell him the client had arrived. Mai ran back to the boiling teapot and poured four cups of tea as Naru came out and settled down across from the two women.

"My name is Kazuya Shibuya," Naru began. "I understand you have a problem with a haunting."

The two women glanced at each other. The younger of the two, who had long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, answered grimly. "Well… we believe so."

Naru stared at the woman for a moment, processing the uncertainty in her voice, as well as every other aspect of her, including her facial expression and body language. Naru compared her demeanor to that of her companion, and quickly determined that both women were stressed and uncertain. Naru made no mention of his observations, and instead asked "And what has led you to this conclusion?"

The elder woman, who had short blond hair, began to relate the story. "It started a couple months ago, when the children started complaining about the doors. They would tell us that some of the doors would slam shut while they were trying to play games. Not long after the lights started to malfunction. We've had them checked half a dozen times already. There's nothing physically wrong with them. Objects were being moved around at night, too. We thought it was the children at first, but after installing a few cameras throughout the house, we discovered that… that they were really moving on their own." The woman paused.

"Sounds like basic poltergeist activity." Naru noted, sipping at the tea Mai had set in front of him moments before. "Most poltergeist are caused by humans. How many children are at your orphanage?"

"Twenty." The younger woman answered. "We are aware that poltergeists are often human related, and for a while we suspected… but then…"

As the younger woman drifted off mid-sentence, the older took up the statement. "Then we started hearing things. Footsteps when no one else was around, laughter when the children are outside. Some of the young ones have even claimed to have seen a little boy around the building who isn't part of our group."

"I see…" Naru muttered. From everything he'd just heard, it seemed rather unlikely that the cause of the disturbances weren't paranormal. He was finding himself to be rather interested in the case. "Has there been any media coverage of these events?"

"No." Both women responded at once. The elder elaborated "We're an orphanage, after all. The children's privacy is one of our top priorities."

Naru nodded curtly, pleased with the answer. "Have you called anyone else about the problem?" He asked.

The younger answered. "About a month ago, we called in a… what did he call himself? Oh, yes, psychic investigator. He was of little help, to say the least. He was barely there two nights before being scared off."

"We can assure you that you will not have the same problem with us." Naru told her, noticing her suspicious glare. "This psychic investigator, did he have a theory behind the cause of this phenomenon?"

The woman nodded. "He said the haunting was being caused by one of the children."

"Which child?" Naru asked.

"An eight year old named Kara." The elder woman answered. "At the time, it made sense. When Kara gets angry or upset, the furniture begins to shake, glass shatters, and there was one instance in which she threw one of the boys across the room without laying a finger on him. However…"

"It doesn't account for everything that's been occurring at the orphanage." Naru finished for her. She nodded.

Naru ran over his mental checklist. Unexplained phenomena that has worsened over time, check. No media coverage, check. Other options explored, check. This case definitely made the cut.

"All right then, we'll take the case."


	2. Chapter 1

**Because the prologue was so short, I decided to go ahead and upload the first chapter at the same time. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Ghost Hunt. **

Chapter 1- Mai's POV

Sometimes, I hate my job.

Don't get me wrong, working with Shibuya Psychic Research is a privilege. There's a bunch of cool stuff involved with solving paranormal cases, and in between cases, all I have to do is file papers and make tea. It's not a bad deal at all.

And yet, there were moments like now, when my job was a lot harder than it should be. I grunted in pain as I gripped onto the monitor that I was carrying from the van to the base. There was a time when Naru wouldn't let me carry in this equipment, but since coming back from England, he's left a lot more of the heavy lifting to me. Stupid Naru.

I finally made it to base (which, as luck would have it, is on the third and top floor of the orphanage) and carefully set the monitor on the desk that had been set aside for us. As soon as I was free of it, I jumped back and shook my hands. I noted with annoyance that I'd been gripping onto a sharp edge with the index finger of my left hand, and as such it had started to bleed.

I grunted and stomped out of the room. One down, three to go.

Ten minutes and two bleeding fingers later, all monitors were set up and ready to go. I quickly bandaged the cuts and joined Naru and Lin, both of whom were in the lounge talking to the women from the office visit, who'd introduced themselves as Ayuka (the younger) and Midori (the elder).

"The children go to bed at eight, so please try to keep the noise to a minimum." Ayuka was saying. "And we'd rather avoid having cameras in the children's rooms and bathrooms, unless it's absolutely necessary. Other than that, feel free to set up your equipment wherever you like."

Just then, a couple kids ran past, butting right through the middle of the group and nearly knocking me right over. Midori ran after the two trouble makers while Ayuka apologized. I didn't mind though. Usually, when we go to a haunted place with children, the kids are subdued and scared. These two were smiling and laughing. It warmed my heart.

"Can we meet the children?" I asked Ayuka, watching Midori disappear around the corner after the kids.

"That's a good idea," Naru interjected, surprising me. "I'd like to talk to them about the things they've been experiencing. I'd also like to talk Kara, if you don't mind." My surprise faded.

Ayuka smiled. "Of course." She answered. "This way."

Ayuka led us through a maze of hallways (this place was huge) to a large back room that was set up like a giant daycare centre. Toys scattered the floor as over a dozen children weaved through the carnage, chasing after each other in some sort of game.

"Supper isn't for another hour, so feel free to speak with any of them until that time." Ayuka told us. She pointed to a girl sitting in the corner of the room by herself, and added "That's Kara. Please try not to upset her." With that, Ayuka left, murmuring something about having to prepare supper.

Most of the children barely noticed us come in, they were so engrossed in their games. Naru, contrary to what he'd told Ayuka, didn't bother with them and instead made his way directly to the girl Kara. I stumbled after him, trying not to fall on my face as I did.

Kara, unlike the other children, noticed us approaching. She looked up and fixed us with a curious, subdued stare. She looked like she'd been experiencing a haunting, unlike the rest of the kids, but I barely even noticed. Something entirely different had instead caught my attention.

She looked exactly like me.

Okay, maybe not exactly. There were some obvious differences. Her eyes were blue, for one, and her hair was a much darker shade of brown, not to mention long. But the shape of her face reminded me of every time I looked in a mirror. It was kind of freaking me out.

If Naru noticed this weird similarity, he didn't comment (of course he didn't—why would he?). Instead, he kneeled down to face her at her level and said "Are you Kara?"

"Yes," She answered. She sounded weary.

"My name is Kazuya Shibuya. I'm from Shibuya Psychic Research. Do you know what that means?" Naru asked her.

Kara stared blankly at Naru for a couple seconds, then gave a bit of a strange answer "It isn't me."

I flashed back to several years ago, when a certain little girl named Ayumi had to make a similar claim. At the time, she was the same age that Kara is now. I could see a lot of the same emotions reflected in Kara that I'd seen in Ayumi—fear, desperation, determination, and blatant honesty.

I stepped forward before Naru could say something insensitive. I kneeled in front of the little girl and smiled, saying "It's okay, we believe you. Why don't you come with us and tell us about everything that's been happening?"

The little girl who could've been my little sister focused her attention on me. She opened her mouth in surprise, and abruptly closed it, then answered timidly "Okay."

Kara stood up and brushed herself off, then followed Naru and I out of the play area. This, the other children noticed, despite having turned a blind eye when we'd come in. Many of them paused in their tracks and whispered amongst each other, casting suspicious glances at our retreating forms. Kara, having looked back for half a second, quickly realised she'd become the center of attention and gripped onto my arm with both hands, trying to hide her face in my sleeve. I found myself feeling relieved when we made it out of the room.

We took Kara to base, so we could be sure there wouldn't be any problems. Despite the fact that we were away from the prying eyes of the other kids, Kara still hadn't let go of my arm. I didn't mind though. She was obviously feeling nervous, and I was more than happy to give her some form of comfort.

The base had a nice, comfortable couch, and this is where Naru and I led Kara. She sat down willingly enough, but she dragged me with her, still refusing to let go of my arm. Naru pulled up a chair so he could face her when asking his questions. I sent up a quick prayer that Naru wouldn't make her cry.

"So, Kara," Naru started nice enough. "You say that it isn't you. What did you mean?"

Kara cast her eyes to the floor before giving him an answer. "Things have been happening. Strange things. Everyone else thinks it's me making the strange things happen, but it isn't. Only sometimes it's me."

Naru raised his eyebrows. "So you can make strange things happen?"

Kara pouted and gripped tighter onto my arm. "Not on purpose!" She insisted. "It's just, when I get mad, things shake, and bad things happen. But I'm not moving stuff around, and I'm not making funny sounds. It's the boy's fault."

Naru's expression softened ever so slightly while he listened to Kara defend herself. I guess he did have some experience with this sort of thing (Lin did say he caused poltergeist all the time when he was younger), but the idea of Naru sympathizing with anyone for anything was just weird. Besides, it didn't sound like Kara was the real source of the problems here.

Naru must have been thinking along the same lines, because he focused his next question on the boy she just mentioned. "Who is this boy, Kara?"

"I dunno," She answered, still timid but starting to relax. "The others have seen him too. He's scary. His eyes are black and his skin is white and he doesn't talk, he just stands there, watching us."

"Where do you see this boy?" Naru asked.

"Around the house." Kara answered. "The boys' room, the kitchen, the halls, the basement, and the backyard."

Follow up question. "If the boy only stands there and watches you when you see him, then why do you think he's the one causing the problems?"

Kara pouted again. "I just do. I know it's him."

I smiled at Kara and put my arms around her, saying "Don't worry, sweetie, we believe you."

"Well, there's no way that Kara is the source of all these problems." Naru agreed, which left me completely shocked. He usually didn't rule out any options at this point in the investigation. Still, he'd said the right thing. Kara was looking back and forth between the two of us with wide eyes.

"… Really?" Kara muttered.

"Of course!" I answered with a grin.

Kara responded with a wide smile. She threw her arms around me and held on, yelling out a chorus of 'thank you's. With a start, I suddenly realised that this was probably the first time that someone hadn't blamed her for the stuff happening here. I smiled and hugged her back.

Naru, having determined that the conversation was over, got up and walked over to Lin, saying "See if you can find anything about a young boy having died here." Lin nodded and continued to type.

I turned my attention back to Kara, who had now gone quiet but still had her arms wrapped around me. Gently, I asked her "Do you wanna go play with the other kids now?"

Kara shook her head emphatically, gripping tighter to my waist. She muttered "I wanna stay with you."

My heart just completely melted. She's so cute! I decided that there was no way I could leave her to the mercy of those other kids, so I told her "Well, okay," Naru cast me a look out of the corner of his eye, and I quickly added "Why don't you help me make some tea?"

Kara nodded enthusiastically and jumped off the couch, letting go of my waist only to grab my hand and drag me with her. I only just had time to tell Naru that I'd be back in a few minutes before I was out the door.

I let Kara take the lead as we made our way to the kitchen, which was currently clamouring with activity as several kitchen workers prepared supper for the twenty orphans. Ayuka was there as well, and when Kara and I entered, she came over to greet us.

"Hello Mai," Ayuka began, wiping her hands on her apron. She turned her gaze down and added "Hello Kara. How can I help you?"

"Oh, I was just hoping to make some tea." I told her with a smile. "Naru gets grouchy if he doesn't have some every couple hours."

Ayuka chuckled. "I can certainly understand that," She said. She turned her attention back to Kara and said "Did you come to help Mai, Kara?"

Kara nodded, half hiding behind my arm. I was starting to learn that Kara was extraordinarily shy. Most kids her age never stopped talking: Kara only spoke when spoken to. She'd already spent plenty of time hiding behind me, even though we'd only just met. I wonder why she'd taken to me so quickly, not that I'm complaining, of course.

Ayuka simply smiled, no doubt used to her behaviour, and led us to the teapot in a corner of the kitchen. She gave us quick instructions on where to find everything, then left us in order to supervise the rest of the kitchen clamour. I quickly got to work, boiling the water and getting Kara to fetch the tea leaves as well as a couple other things that Naru likes in his tea. We mixed it up and made our way back to the office.

We were only about halfway back when some whispering caught my attention. With my experience, my heart began to beat frantically in panic, fully expecting to be ambushed by a ghost. But when I turned to the source of the noise, it turned out to be three of the children. They were huddled together, peeking fearfully out of a doorway at the other end of the hall. Their gazes were fixed on Kara.

Kara, noticing the children, didn't bother to hide behind me, but instead cast her eyes to the ground in shame. My defenses instantly went up. It was as if the other children were isolating her, and that was nothing short of bullying.

I was ready to go off and lecture those kids on the spot, but instead I took a deep, calming breath and smiled at the other children, saying "Hello, my name is Mai Taniyama. What's your name?"

The three children exchanged glances, trying to determine who would be first to answer. Eventually, one boy stepped forward and said "I'm Fujiko. This is Sacchi and Ayami." He pointed to the two girls behind him in turn, who nodded as they were introduced.

"Well, Fujiko," I started, as nicely as I could, "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

The three children exchanged another look, and once again, it was Fujiko who spoke up. "Is Kara in trouble?"

How rude! I couldn't believe this kid, probably ten years old, would have the nerve to ask a question like that with Kara hovering behind me. Still, I kept my composure and answered calmly "No, she isn't. Why would you say that?"

The kids didn't seem particularly relieved at my answer. It was almost as if they wanted Kara to be in trouble. Fujiko answered me. "Well, everyone says that she's making all the scary stuff happen, and Midori said you and your friends were here to make it stop, so we thought…" Fujiko trailed off, casting his eyes to the floor. The two girls nodded and did the same.

I gritted my teeth. Hold it together, Mai. They're only little kids. "Well, you've heard wrong." My voice was a little harder than I wanted it to be. "Kara hasn't done anything wrong, so there's no reason for her to be in trouble, okay?"

The three kids nodded their heads shamefully and drifted back into the room they'd been peeking out of. I turned to Kara, who had kept her eyes locked on the floor for the whole conversation but was now looking at me with wide eyes. I smiled and said "We'd better get going, before Naru throws a fit."

Kara smiled enthusiastically and nodded. She turned and, pulling me along because she still hadn't let go of me, made her way back into the office.

Once there, I immediately went to give Naru his tea. His thank you was to give me a clipboard and thermometer, asking for temperature readings of all the rooms in the house. Grumbling slightly, I took the equipment and began to explore the house, Kara in tow.

I started with all the rooms on the third floor, since they were the closest. Kara took possession of the thermometer and led in setting it up in each room. She'd call out the temperature and I'd write it down. I'd checked her observations the first couple times, just to be sure she'd read it correctly, only to find that she was dead accurate. The thermometer wasn't a complicated machine, but I was still impressed that an eight-year-old had figured it out so easily.

The second floor was a little harder because there were a few kids scattered here and there, but the children seemed eager to stay away from Kara, so they never got in our way. The more time I spent with Kara, the sorrier I felt for her. She was already an orphan, and I knew how lonely that could make you feel. To add to that, she was being completely isolated from her peers because she happened to have some PK. She must be so lonely.

We got to the first floor, and jotted down the temperatures for the first floor rooms. Just as we were finishing up, Ayuka peeked out of the kitchen and said "Dinner in five minutes! I hope you don't mind, our dining area doesn't have any spare room, so we'll be bringing the food up to you."

"Not at all!" I told her. It smelled delicious as it was, I wasn't about to complain about where I got to eat it.

Kara ran up to Ayuka, looked her straight in the eye, and asked "Can I eat with Mommy?"

Ayuka's eyes widened in surprise, as did mine. Was she referring to me? I'm pretty sure she was, but that didn't make any sense. I'd only met her earlier today. Besides, I was only eighteen. I wasn't anyone's mother, certainly not Kara's.

Still, despite the panic I was feeling from that innocent statement, I just didn't have the heart to deny her. She must know I'm not her real mother, but if calling me mom made her happy, then so be it.

Ayuka decided not to comment on it either. Instead, she smiled at her and said "If it's okay with her, then it's okay with me."

Kara turned and skipped back over to me. She grabbed onto my arm and looked up at me with big, pleading eyes, saying "Can I, mommy? Please?"

Something tugged at my heart when she called me 'mommy' again, and I had to push back some tears. I smiled and said "Sure Kara, I don't mind."

"Yay!" Kara exclaimed, jumping up and down on the spot. "Let's go tell daddy!" She switched her grip from my arm to my hand and pulled me out of the room, but I didn't notice.

_Daddy!? _

_Who the heck was that going to be!? _

I thought about it for a couple seconds, and then a feeling of dread began to creep over me. _Oh no,_ I thought _Please tell me she doesn't mean…_

Kara burst into the room, ran over to Naru, and yelled "DADDY!"

_She does._


	3. Chapter 2

**I decided that I would be switching between Mai and Naru's POV for this story. I really hope I portrayed Naru well. I find it's a lot easier to get inside Mai's head, most likely because the anime is from her point of view. Still, I tried. **

**I don't own Ghost Hunt**

Chapter 2- Naru's POV

I really don't know what I was thinking when I accepted this case. The number of children bustling around the house made so much noise that it was near impossible to concentrate. It was very irritating.

Granted, I wasn't particularly fond of children to begin with. They made me uncomfortable. If I talk to them, I'm more likely to make them cry than anything else. Children were more Mai's domain. This had been clear to me since the first time I'd seen her interact with a child, and had remained true to this day. Still, I had been prompted to take this case, so I would ignore my lack of ability to communicate with children and get the job done.

Although, it appears I'm not quite as incompetent in this aspect as I thought. That girl earlier, Kara, hadn't cowered from me, nor had she burst into tears. She had clung to Mai, giving her the appearance of being shy, but her eyes had been hard and cold, very much like my own. She certainly hadn't been emotionless, but I was pretty sure that she could be if she so desired. I found it rather fascinating, and I found myself taking to the little girl rather quickly.

Or perhaps I was taking to her because she bore such a strong similarity to Mai.

I gave my head a quick shake, clearing it of distracting thoughts, and refocused on my research, which had turned up some very disturbing information.

The orphanage I was currently in had been erected 75 years ago. It had originally been a house for a wealthy family by the name of Furuka, which had consisted of a father, a mother, a daughter, and a son. However…

My train of thought was interrupted when the door burst open and the two girls came in. Kara, who'd clung to Mai since meeting, came right up to me and yelled "Daddy!"

I winced. That girl had quite the voice. Then her exclamation processed, and I narrowed my eyes at her, asking "Did you just call me daddy?"

Kara nodded, grinning from ear to ear. I sighed, slightly annoyed and somehow disturbed. Fixing her with the nicest glare I could manage, I said "I'm not your father."

Kara looked at me as though I was the idiot and said "Well, duh. I know that."

I narrowed my eyes, studying her expression. She was still smiling innocently, but her eyes burned with a fire that told me she'd chosen her position and would stick to it. I closed my eyes and said, quite calmly, "But you plan to continue to call me that, correct?"

She nodded.

I considered this for a moment. On one hand, I was rather uncomfortable with the prospect of being called 'dad' by an eight-year-old girl I'd only just met. I was no one's father. On the other hand, she was clear on the fact that I wasn't her true father. Her calling me that didn't harm anyone. Besides, I didn't dislike her. She was a strong girl, and clearly very bold. She was very much like me at her age.

I made my decision. "Whatever." I told her, giving her permission in a passive-aggressive way to continue with her fantasy. "Did you have something to say?"

Mai came forward to answer the question. For some reason, she was blushing, right from the roots of her hair. In fact, I had rarely ever seen her this red. Perhaps she was shocked that I hadn't reprimanded Kara. "Ayuka just informed us that dinner will be ready in a few minutes." She told me. "She said that she'd be bringing the food up to us, since they don't have room for us in their dining room. Also, Kara will be eating with us."

"Why?" Was my first question. A small part of my brain acknowledged that my response was a little harsh, but I ignored it, as per usual.

Kara answered simply "Because I want to." She showed no sign that my question had offended her.

A few minutes later, Ayuka showed up with a rolling tray of food. Mai and Kara ran over to it, but I barely turned my head away from the computer screen in front of me. I knew that Mai would bring something over to me, so there was no reason for me to leave my position.

Sure enough, Mai came over a minute later and placed a plate of food next to me. She then went and sat with Kara at a small table nearby. They started up a conversation that I filed away at the back of my mind.

I put aside my research for a couple minutes to go through the plate of food, not really processing what was on it. I wasn't too particular about the food I eat during an investigation.

When I was done, I turned in my chair to face the two girls, who were also finished, and called out "Kara, how long have you been at this orphanage?"

Kara turned her attention to me. "Since I was a baby," She answered. "I was born here. My first mom died only minutes after I was born. No one knows who my first dad was, and no one ever came to get me."

I felt a small flash of sympathy, recalling my own experience with orphanages. I had had Gene to rely on throughout my childhood. Kara had no one. She was very strong. Shaking away my thoughts, I returned to my original focus. "Who was last to join this orphanage, and when did they arrive?"

Kara thought about it for a moment. "Well… I guess it would've been the twins, Hiro and Haruko. They're five. They came a few months ago. It was just after that that the scary stuff starting happening."

I filed this in my mind under 'critical information'. I recalled that I was the second to investigate, so I asked "The man who came before us, the one they called a psychic investigator, did he suspect these twins of being the source of the problems here?"

She shook her head. "Nuh-uh. He looked at them, but he said they didn't have any powers."

I considered this. Going on the assumption that this psychic investigator had been right, and the source of these problems weren't human in origin (which I already suspected), there still had to be some sort of connection between the arrival of these twins and the spiritual phenomenon occurring at this orphanage.

Mai, having listened to me question Kara silently, finally interceded. "Naru, why are you asking her this? You have a theory, don't you?"

I switched my focus to Mai. Upon looking at her, a feeling of fondness swelled up in my chest, one that I masked expertly. Mai had come a long way since the day she broke that camera and sprained Lin's ankle. She was smarter, more collected, and her psychic abilities have developed nicely. She's grown into a fine young woman.

I banished these thoughts as soon as they entered my mind with a slight amount of panic. I refocused on the conversation at hand and answered her. "Not so much a theory. I have discovered some key details concerning the history of this orphanage that might explain the events occurring now. However, I don't know why the phenomenon would wait so long to occur."

"What do you mean by 'wait'?" Mai interrupted. "What happened here, Naru?"

I shot a quick glance in the direction of Kara, who was now listening politely. I didn't want to disturb her with gruesome details. All the same, she seemed like she could handle mature topics better than most kids her age. As long as Mai didn't protest, I wouldn't hold back.

I told her the story. "This orphanage was erected 75 years ago. It had originally been a house for a wealthy family by the name of Furuka, which had consisted of a father, a mother, a daughter, and a son. However, around 73 years ago, a string of disappearances involving young children began to plague the locals. Since the family here had two children, the daughter being twelve at the time and the boy nine, and both of them remained unharmed, the locals began to suspect this the family here might be involved. After the nineteenth disappearance, a group of locals came up to the house to personally interrogate the people here. Upon arriving, they found all nineteen of the missing children, each one of them slaughtered, plus the body of the boy who lived in that house. The father, Ichiro Furuka, was arrested and charged for the murders. The mother and daughter moved away and were never heard from again. Since them, the house has been virtually abandoned, until about ten years ago when it was rebuilt into an orphanage."

Mai shivered, looking pale. "That's horrible." She murmured.

Kara, looking completely unmoved, interjected "But we haven't seen twenty ghosts. We've only seen one around here."

I frowned. I disliked it when someone put holes in my theories. "Yes," I started. "But you have been hearing laughter and footsteps throughout the house, correct?"

Kara nodded.

"It is possible that only one of the spirits would have the strength to conjure up an apparition out of twenty. If I had to guess, I'd say the spirit that's been seen around the orphanage is the spirit of the boy who actually lived here."

"Why him?" Mai asked.

"Because he has the most to be angry about." I answered her. "Site-bound spirits are driven by emotion. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the spirit. This boy, Ryo Furuka, was murdered by his own father. His emotions are likely in more turmoil than the others."

Mai considered this for a minute. "That makes sense." She decided. "But it doesn't explain why this stuff is only happening now."

I lowered my gaze in frustration. "I know."

Silence followed as the two girls pondered this. Frowning, Mai said "We could always just ask the boy."

I raised my eyebrows at her, surprised. "And how do you suppose we do that?"

Mai looked me straight in the eye and said "Well, we have the boy's name, birthday and date of death, right? That means Lin can summon him."

I suddenly felt like an idiot, not to mentioned annoyed at the fact that Mai had come up with such a simple solution before I could. I couldn't decide if that was a compliment to her intelligence or an insult to mine. "You're right," I murmured regretfully. I looked over to Lin, who had turned to face us at the mention of his name. "Can you do it?" I asked him.

"Of course." He answered. "It should be easy enough."

I nodded in appreciation. "Then get ready." I told him. He immediately stood up and walked off to get the equipment he would need.

Mai smiled, pleased that her suggestion had gone through. She turned to Kara and said "Let's take those dishes downstairs, okay?"

Kara nodded and jumped up to grab the dishes around the room. A few seconds later, the two girls were out the door.

I suddenly noticed that the sun was setting, and I wondered briefly if I should have gone with them. Mai had quite the record for attracting spirits, a record that got continually worse as her psychic abilities developed. But after a moment, I dismissed the thought. She'll be fine.

… Right?


	4. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! I'm up to chapter three and still going strong! I hope so, anyways. We're back to Mai's point of view in this chapter. So here's a question for everyone: How would you envision Mai getting attacked by a spirit? Post in reviews, and I might incorporate it into a later chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

**I don't own Ghost Hunt. **

Chapter 3- Mai's POV

Okay, I know I have rotten luck. I've been dragged down wells, cursed, possessed, kidnapped by ghosts, pushed down several flights of stairs, and injured more times than I could count. Still, you'd figure that doing dishes in a brightly lit room with half a dozen witnesses would be safe, right?

If only I were that lucky.

Kara and I brought the dishes into the kitchen just as the kitchen staff began their own daily clean up. Ayuka, who was apparently in charge of the kitchen staff, was there supervising and had led us over to a sink where we could take care of our own dishes.

Kara began humming happily as she worked through drying the dishes and putting them away. She was half the size of everyone else in the room, so I kept expecting her to crash into someone, but it seemed like the kitchen staff was used to having her around and took care to avoid getting in her way.

Kara and I had only just finished and we were both wiping our hands dry, when Kara suddenly froze. Her face went completely blank, the smile vanishing from her lips. She tilted her head slightly to the side, as though she were listening to something and said, rather ominously "Something's coming."

As soon as the words left her mouth, I went completely deaf. At least, that's what it felt like. My world was plunged into complete silence, despite the fact that the kitchen around me was still bustling with activity. I froze, straining my ears, hoping to get some sort of sound to process, wondering what in the world was going on.

Then I heard something. It was faint at first, barely louder than the faint ringing in my ears, but after a couple seconds it got louder. It didn't take me long to realise what it was.

It was the sound of children crying.

Suddenly, every cell in my body was pulsing with a warning to me, a cry of 'danger'. Something wasn't right, I could feel it in my heart. That crying… it wasn't human. I had enough experience to know that much.

I turned slowly on the spot, trying to pinpoint the area that the sound was coming from. From what I could tell, it seemed to be coming from some spot down the hallway that stretched out from the right end of the kitchen. I wondered for a minute if I should go check it out, with my track record and everything, but before I could decide, Kara starting walking toward the noise, essentially making my decision for me. I wouldn't let her go alone.

I followed Kara down the hallway. She seemed to be in some sort of trance, and I wondered vaguely if she was experiencing the same thing I was experiencing. She supposedly had PK, though I hadn't seen any sign of this yet. It wasn't too much of a stretch to think that she might have other psychic abilities.

Kara stopped in front of the last room at the end of the hallway. Immediately, the crying got ten times louder, and I reflexively covered my ears to block the sound. Kara, completely unaffected, stepped forward and pushed the door open.

The crying stopped.

My heart pounding, I stepped forward around Kara into the room and asked in a shaky voice "Hello? Is anyone in here?"

A loud bang came from all directions. Every piece of furniture jumped. Then the bang came again, and again. I back up, and Kara gripped onto me, whimpering.

Suddenly, I could hear voices shouting at us, the voices of children.

"Go away! Go away! GO AWAY!"

The banging got louder, and several objects fell to the floor. A vase that was sitting on a dresser fell and shattered. Kara hid her head in my shirt. She was trembling. So was I.

Suddenly, from behind us, several people came rushing into the room. As soon as they entered the room, the banging and the voices stopped, giving way to the frantic questions of the people who had come rushing in.

"What is it? What happened?" Ayuka was the first to ask. She immediately honed in on Kara and said "Kara, you know you're not supposed to do this sort of thing. Certainly not in front of our guests."

I gritted my teeth, and Kara gripped tighter onto my shirt, crying out "But it wasn't me!"

I opened my mouth to defend Kara, when a couple kids sneaked past the people standing in the door, the first one in saying "It was, Miss! There was loud banging! It was Kara!"

I resisted the urge to strangle the kid. I opened my mouth again, ready to argue, when Kara from behind me called out again "It wasn't me!"

Ayuka answered before I could speak. "Kara, we've talked about this. You have to tell us when things like this happen. Lying doesn't help anyone."

Tears were beginning to form in Kara's eyes as her voice got louder. "I'm not lying! It wasn't me! IT WASN'T ME!"

From the other side of the room, the windows shattered.

All the kids who were in the room turned tail and ran, with the exception of Kara. She turned to the damage, her eyes wide and terrified. She tried to back away, but she tripped and fell. I responded faster than I thought possible and caught her, wrapping her in my arms while she cried out "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

While Kara sobbed in my arms, I turned an angry glare on Ayuka and said calmly. "Kara wasn't the source of the banging earlier. It was something else."

Ayuka just nodded, still looking at the shattered window with wide eyes. I glanced at the damage myself, feeling the slightest tinge of worry. Had Kara really shattered those windows? I had a feeling she did.

Suddenly, we were joined by Naru, who ran into the room, took one look around and said "What happened."

Still cradling a sobbing Kara, I told him "Kara and I heard children crying down the hall, so we came to check it out. When we got to this room, the crying stopped and there was some loud banging and voices screaming at us to go away. And then-" My voice turned hard and angry. "Ayuka and some kids came in and accused Kara of causing the banging. She got upset and the windows shattered." I turned my attention back to Kara, trying to calm her down.

Naru didn't say anything right away. Instead, he walked over to the two of us on the floor and kneeled down. He called Kara's name, being gentle but firm. She calmed slightly for a second and looked up at Naru, who told her "Calm down. You aren't in trouble."

I'd been telling her practically the same thing over and over, but it had a drastic impact coming from Naru. Maybe it was just the tone of voice he used, or the firmness of his gaze. He was pretty good at calming me down when I panic, so I guess it wasn't so weird that he'd have the same effect on others. Kara quieted down to just a couple sniffles. She relaxed in my arms, and her shaking stopped. I waited a couple seconds, and then urged her to her feet, leading her out of the room. I essentially ignored Ayuka and the other adults gathered as I walked by.

I took Kara back to base, not trusting the others in the orphanage to be kind to her. Lin was still typing at his computer. He glanced over at us when we walked in, but didn't react in any way, simply returning to whatever he was doing.

Kara claimed that she was tired, so I lead her to the couch and lay her down. I managed to find a blanket for her, and a pillow. After making sure she was absolutely comfortable, I smiled gently at her and said "Don't worry Kara. You can stay with us all night if you want to."

Kara fixed me with tired eyes, smiled, and said "Thanks mommy." She then closed her eyes, and within seconds she was asleep.

My heart seized up again, and I had to bite back a few tears. _She's just so cute!_

Naru came into the room less than a minute later. He walked straight to his desk without looking in our general direction at all, but I knew he'd seen everything the second he walked in. That's just the way he is. I walked over to him and stated "Kara's asleep."

"I can see that." Naru answered, not even looking up from the clipboard he was holding. I glared at him anyways. Would it kill him to be nice every now and then?

I took a second to calm myself, and continued. "I told her she could stay here the night if she wants to."

"That's probably wise," Naru answered, which surprised me, until he continued. "If the other children were to upset her and her PK acted up, it would interfere with our data."

Irritation welled up in my chest again. He's all work. And here I thought he was actually warming up to Kara.

Naru finally looked sideways at me, only to hand me the clipboard he'd been holding onto, saying "Set up a camera and mic in every room I've listed."

"Yes, sir." I answered sarcastically, snatching the clipboard out of his hand with obvious annoyance. Sometimes I think he irritates me on purpose, with how often it happens. I think it's his own twisted form of entertainment.

I made it about halfway to the door when my irritation subsided and a new thought occurred to me. I paused and glanced back at Kara's sleeping form, suddenly unsure. Was it really okay for me to leave her after what happened? What if she woke up and panicked because I wasn't there? What if she had another PK accident?

_Come on Mai, snap out of it. You only just met her. You're not her real mother._ Still, I couldn't help the anxiety from gnawing away at my conscience.

"Mai?" Naru's voice shook me out of my thoughts. He was giving me the strangest look. It was almost… sympathetic. "Kara will be fine. I'll watch her."

My eyes widened in surprise. Not only had Naru just practically read my mind, but he'd also offered to look after a kid. He'd done the first before, but the second was so shockingly out of character, I didn't know how to react.

I decided my best option was to roll with it, so I smiled and thanked him before grabbing the keys to the van and running off to get the cameras and microphones.

***T***

It was about thirty minutes later that I realised that setting up cameras and mics in a haunted orphanage after sunset (and after bedtime) was a really bad idea. At least, it was a bad idea for me. If anyone else had done it, I'm sure they would have been completely fine.

You'd figure Naru would've known better than to ask me to do this now.

As a compliment to my skills, I did manage to set up all the equipment in the places Naru had marked. I covered the kitchen, the play area, two of the empty guest room, the office in which Kara and I had our own paranormal experience, the attic, and the entrance without any problem. The basement ended up being my downfall. Talk about stereotypical.

My luck took a turn for the worse the second I reached the basement door and tried to flick the lights on. Surprise, it didn't work. I gulped, my nerves mounting, and took out a flashlight that I had been smart enough to bring with me. Stepping carefully, I made my way down the stairs.

The basement turned out to be a wide open area with an assortment of toys all over the place. The kids must play down here a lot. I picked out one corner and practically ran over to it, setting up the camera as fast as I could. The darkness of the basement was really creeping me out. It was almost like it had eyes, and those eyes weren't friendly.

I set up the mic just as quickly, switched both tools on, and started heading triumphantly to the door, thinking that I just might have avoided any problems after all.

That's when I smelt it. A rank, metallic smell, one I'd recognise anywhere. The smell of blood.

I froze, my eyes wide, my fists clenched. The stairs were right in front of me. All I had to do was run.

Before I could steel my nerves to run, someone from behind me, a child, began to laugh.

_That's impossible. I'm the only one down here. _

I turned slowly, shaking, to the source of the laughter. This laughter didn't sound like the laughing from earlier. That laughing had sounding otherworldly. This laughter sounded very real—and very wrong. It was bitter, maniacal.

The laughter was coming from the middle of the room. A young boy was playing with some blocks, his back facing me. Blood splattered the floor around him, but none of it touched him. He was giving off a pale light, the only light in the room.

The boy suddenly stopped playing. The laughter went quiet, and slowly, very slowly, the boy turned to face me. My heart was beating a hundred miles an hour at this point. My instincts were screaming for me to run, but I couldn't move. I was frozen to the spot.

The boy finally looked at me. His skin was deathly white, his eyes completely black. He smiled at me and said in the most malicious tone I'd ever heard from a child "Did you come to play with me?"

The room plunged into darkness, and a scream finally escaped my throat.

"NARU!"


	5. Chapter 4

**I feel like nothing happens in this chapter, which is weird because I usually don't write meaningless chapters. Maybe it contains some hidden meaning that will reveal itself to me in due time. That has happened before. I hope you like it anyways. **

**I don't own Ghost Hunt**

Chapter 4 – Naru's POV

You'd think I would've known better than to ask Mai to set up equipment by herself in the dark. The thing is, she gets attacked so inconsistently that you never really know what's safe for her to do and what isn't. She's set up equipment plenty of times before without getting hurt. How was I to know that this wouldn't be one of those times?

I was sitting at the desk looking through various reports of the crimes committed against those children all those years ago, while also keeping watch over Kara, not that there was really any need. She'd used a fair amount of power to shatter those windows, so she would probably be out cold for a few hours. Still, I'd promised Mai that I would watch her.

Suddenly, I felt a jolt, a feeling I was very familiar with. The SPR regulars had often wondered why it was that I was always the first to reach Mai when she was in trouble. The answer is simple: I'm psychic, obviously. Since Mai's very first case, I've been able to sense when Mai's in danger, much like I was once able to sense when Gene was in danger. Needless to say, this ability has come in handy many times.

A second later, I was out the door, following that feeling in my chest that I knew would take me to her. As I ran past the kitchen and reached the door to the basement, I heard a cry from below.

"NARU!"

I burst open the door to the basement just in time to see something lunge at Mai. She raised her arms to shield herself and cried out when whatever was attacking made contact. A shrill laugh of delight echoed through the room.

I took the stairs two at a time and raced to Mai's side. The attacker, which I assumed to be a spirit, saw me approaching and turned its attention to me, automatically assuming me to be a greater threat. I put myself in front of Mai and glared at the spirit, daring it to come any closer. It considered me for half a second (which in itself was strange because spirits usually avoid attacking me at all costs), then decided its best option was to leave and abruptly vanished.

I put an arm around Mai, who was trembling uncontrollably, and called her name. She instantly calmed down, just as I had expected. She turned to look at me and said "Thanks." Then she all but collapsed on me, completely exhausted.

I tightened my grip on her and brought her out of the basement. Once we were in the light, a flash of red caught my attention. I looked down, only to find that Mai's arm, the one she'd defended herself with, had a long, thin cut that trailed almost all the way from her wrist to her elbow. I cursed under my breath and stopped her in the kitchen, sitting her down while I grabbed something to clean the cut with.

In the few minutes it took me to get the supplies to bandage her cut, Mai didn't move an inch or make a sound. She sat completely still, her eyes wide and her body still shaking. I didn't have to be a genius to recognise the signs of shock.

I brought a cloth and some bandages over to Mai and pulled up a chair. I'd handled many of her injuries before, so this was a non-event to me now. Still, Mai looked surprise when I pulled her injured arm to me, and even more surprised when she took in the long, thin trail of blood down her arm. She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again and said "I didn't realise I got hurt."

I was tempted to regale her with the many intricacies of shock, and how it was normal that she wouldn't notice her own injuries while adrenaline was still pumping through her body, but I bit my tongue and instead focused on why she went into shock. In the two years since we met, I've only ever seen her go into shock twice, so this was unusual. Trying to be gentle, I asked "What happened?"

Mai took a couple seconds to calm herself before answering. "I was setting up the equipment downstairs when this boy appeared in the middle of the room. He had this evil laugh and it smelled like blood. He turned and asked if I'd come to play with him. That's when he attacked."

I thought about this for a moment. "Do you think it was the same boy that Kara described earlier?"

Mai nodded slowly "Yeah… I think so. His eyes were black and his skin was pale."

I gave a slight nod to acknowledge that I had heard her and made no further comment, but I continued to churn this new information in my head. Something about what had just played out wasn't right. It was certainly common enough for Mai to get attacked by spirits, but the attacking spirit was usually one with a grudge or one that had been contracted to do harm through means of a curse. This spirit had been a child. In the past instances that involved a child spirit attacking Mai, or anyone else for that matter, the spirit had always been under the control of another. After the research both Lin and I have conducted on the house, as well as the circumstances involving the death of those twenty children, it seemed unlikely that this was the case. So why did this spirit attack?

I had a theory, but I didn't have enough evidence to give it credibility.

I turned my attention back to Mai, who was breathing normally again and had stopped shaking. The shock had worn off, which was slightly impressive. I suspect that the shock was brought on by the fact that she was attacked by a child spirit. Mai was particularly sensitive when it came to children, which had already been demonstrated by her instantaneous connection with Kara.

I'd have to ask Kara about that boy spirit again. I suspected she could give me more details.

I gave my ADHD brain a quick shake and forced myself to focus on the problem at hand. Mai was now properly bandaged and had calmed down significantly, so it was probably wise to move her to a safer location. Without saying a word, I stood up, knowing that Mai would follow my example, which she did. We both headed back to the office. Mai looked like she could use some sleep at this point, so I told her to go to bed. To my surprise, she shook her head and said,

"I won't leave Kara."

I turned back to face her, raising my eyebrows slightly. She had that stubborn little pout that told me she wouldn't change her mind under any circumstances, but it was marred by the large bags under her eyes and the drooping of her shoulders. I reminded her "I told you I would watch her."

"You need to sleep too," Mai answered, though we both knew that it was unlikely that I would sleep at all for the next couple of days. "And if that boy really has suddenly decided to turn violent, I don't want Kara to be his next victim."

I was tempted to point out that there were nineteen other children in this orphanage who could become victims as well, but I knew there wasn't any point. Besides, Kara's latent psychic powers may make her a more likely target than the rest of the children. But none of that changed the fact that I could be the one to watch her.

"She'll be perfectly fine here." I insisted, hoping in vain that she would give in and go sleep. "Lin is also here."

"He needs to sleep too," She pointed out yet again, and again we both knew that Lin wouldn't be sleeping for at least another 24 hours. Then her voice cracked slightly, and she added in a much more heartfelt tone "I can't leave her, Naru."

After hearing her tone and watching her stubborn and desperate expression, I finally sighed in defeat. If Mai wouldn't leave Kara, then there was only one thing to do.

Mai raised her eyebrows in surprise as I walked over to a sleeping Kara and reached for her "Naru, what are you…?"

She cut off her sentence with a gasp as I gently picked up the little girl in my arms. To answer her question, I said "Kara will sleep in your room, then."

Mai just stared at me in shock, tumbling after me in a daze as I started moving to the door. "Okay," She said "But why did you pick her up?"

"You're asleep on your feet," I responded in a cold, matter-of-fact tone that I knew would irritate her. "If you were to carry her, you would likely drop her."

As predicted, she scrunched her fists and her face flushed red while she glared at me. "Those monitors you make me carry are heavier than her." She pointed out, a little loudly.

"Insurance covers those." I reminded her. She growled in annoyance and stomped ahead of me, muttering to herself all the while.

Suddenly, Kara stirred a little in my arms. Her head turned slightly in my direction and her eyes opened to slits, giving her just enough information on what was happening. She looked up at me, smiled, and murmured "Daddy" before her eyes closed and she abruptly fell back asleep.

My eyes widened. I know I said that there was no harm in her calling me that as long as she was aware of the truth, but all the same, there had been something extremely powerful about that statement.

_She is pretty cute_, I decided.

I think that's the first time I've ever applied the word 'cute' to a person.

I finally reached Mai's room and laid the little girl down on Mai's enormous sofa. Her room, as well as Lin's and my own, were laid out like a hotel room. Ayuka and Midori had told us that they were used for potential parents coming from foreign lands. They weren't used too often.

For a second I considered saying something to Mai, maybe something along the lines of 'goodnight' as I often wanted to do but never did, but as usual, my mind froze at the thought of such a simple social interaction. It's strange: throughout my years as a ghost hunter, I've had to interact with teenagers many times on a social level and I'm certain that I have mastered the art of charming teenage girls, but when it came to interacting with Mai in such a way, I've been unable to do so. I've considered several possible reasons for this, and my conclusion is that interacting with strangers has an element of falsity to it that allows me to interact with them easily. Since Mai knows me quite well, any social interaction with her would be genuine, which is not something I was comfortable with. Although, as the weeks passed, I found myself craving it more and more, almost rivalling my craving for tea.

All of this is irrelevant. The fine point is that I left Mai's room without so much as glancing her way, as I'm sure she expected me too. Feeling frustrated and slightly confused, I made my way back to base and tried to refocus on the work at hand.

When I walked into the office, Lin glanced up from his work and noted "You're growing fond of that girl."

For a moment, the confused part of my brain wanted to ask 'which one?', but the logical part of my brain knew of whom he spoke.

"Perhaps," I admitted, something I would only do in front of Lin. "Her PK demonstration earlier barely scratches the surface of her true potential." This is something I could note based on the information gathered from Ayuka and Midori. It seems as though Kara has a semi-conscious control of her abilities, which she can only access in certain situations. However, the fact that she has even that amount of control at her age is remarkable, as are the things she can do with that power.

"You were much stronger at her age," Lin pointed out. "By eight years old, you were constantly knocking furniture around."

I frowned slightly. I wasn't particularly fond of those earlier memories, from before I had a decent control on my abilities. "Kara is certainly not that powerful." I agreed. "However, that simply means that it is much safer for her to use her own abilities."

"If she learns to control it." Lin noted.

"She will." I answered confidently. "And when she does, she may be among the most powerful PK users in the psychic community."

_Yes_, I thought. _With the proper training, Kara will be able to accomplish many things._

Lin just smiled.


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. I'm sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter. With the school year ending and everything, I've had a lot to do and not a lot of time to write. I'm all done now, though, and as celebration for the end of my school year, here's another chapter! **

**I don't own ghost hunt. **

Chapter 5- Mai's POV

"So Ayuka, tell me about Kara."

I stared expectantly at Ayuka, who was sitting next to me. It was midmorning and all the kids were playing outside, including Kara, who had only agreed to go as long as I watched her play, hence the reason I was supervising with Ayuka. Thankfully, Naru hadn't had any work for me.

Ayuka smiled indulgently at the children while she answered my question. "Well, I've only been here for a little over a year, but I've heard from everyone else that she was born here at the orphanage."

"Yeah," I said. "Kara mentioned that yesterday. She said her mom died immediately after the birth?"

"That's what I've heard," Ayuka answered. "According to the official account, the mother came staggering to our front door and begged for entry. She was already in labor at the time and it was less than an hour later when she gave birth. There was barely enough time for a midwife to show up, much less a doctor. She passed so fast that she didn't even get the chance to tell us her name, or her baby's name. Of course we looked into it extensively, but this woman was a Jane Doe. No one ever did find out who she was."

"So her parentage is a total mystery." I surmised. I waved and smiled at Kara as she looked my way, then refocused on Ayuka. "I guess that's why she doesn't have a last name. She's been here ever since?"

Ayuka nodded. "Kara has always been a strange child." She noted. "Midori told me that she hardly ever cried as a baby and has never really tried to make friends with the other kids here. She's very shy most of the time, but we do occasionally see a hyper, enthusiastic side to her. However, she's rather frightening when she's angry or upset."

"Because of her power?" I asked.

"That's part of it." Ayuka admitted uneasily. "But her emotional reactions tend to be extreme, even for a child her age, so it can be scary for anyone, regardless of whether her abilities act out or not."

That didn't really explain anything. Kara was such a sweet little girl, I couldn't begin to imagine someone thinking of her as scary. I guess I'd just have to see for myself someday.

Strange that I would think like that, like Kara would still be around far into the future. This was a case, after all. We'd probably only be here another week before heading home. I'd probably never see Kara again.

For some reason, that thought caused my heart to ache.

A shrill sound tore through my thoughts, and it took me a moment to realise it'd only been the sound of a whistle. All the kids stopped what they were doing and came to the door. It was obviously a routine the kids were used to. Kara, for her part, walked over to me, though she kept glancing back at the other children with a troubled look.

"What's the matter, Kara?" I asked her as soon as she got to me. "Are the other kids bothering you again?" I felt irritated at the very thought.

"No…" Kara began, her eyes still trained on the larger group at the door. She wasn't just troubled, I realised. She was very confused. It just made me all the more curious. "But… something's wrong."

"What is it?" I urged her, my defences going up.

She answered quite simply "I counted twenty-one kids."

"Yeah, so what's wrong?"

"There's only twenty of us at the orphanage."

My blood turned cold. Slowly, I turned to the giggling, oblivious group of kids and began to count. I reached twenty and basked in a moment of relief, before I remembered that I forgot to count Kara. Twenty-one.

_That's impossible_, I thought. Someone else would have noticed an extra kid. None of the kids appeared to be at all panicked or scared, so no one was obviously standing out. None of the kids appeared to be acting suspiciously.

So who was the extra? And why wasn't anyone else noticing?

I looked closely at the kids, trying to pick out the face of every individual child. I'd seen the ghostly image of the boy Kara spoke of last night, so I figured that I'd be able to pick him out, even if he was looking normal for some reason. But even after examining the face of every kid, I couldn't figure out who was the extra.

I grabbed Kara's hand and ran over to Ayuka, who was arranging the children into a line. I pulled her aside and whispered "How many children do you count?"

Ayuka, looking alarmed, turned her attention to the line of children and counted. Her face turned white as a sheet when she reached the end of the line. Leaning against the wall she stuttered "T-twenty-one. How…?"

I was glad that Kara and I weren't the only ones counting twenty-one. I put a firm hand on Ayuka's shoulder and said in a strong but gentle tone "You know these children, Ayuka, which one is the extra?"

Ayuka turned her pale face back to the kids, who were staring at us curiously and were beginning to grow impatient. After a moment, she shook her head helplessly and said "I don't know."

I was a little disappointed, but I'd expected as much. At least I knew that the extra wasn't just some kid trying to sneak into the house with a friend. I gave Ayuka a reassuring smile and took Kara's hand, pulling her into the house with me. I had to tell Naru what was happening.

Thirty seconds later, I burst into the office, Kara tumbling behind me in her effort to keep up. Naru and Lin both looked up at the commotion, Naru looking slightly annoyed and Lin completely disinterested. I was used to this, though, and went on regardless. "Something's going on with the children."

"What is it?" Naru asked before I was able to continue. I growled at him, then explained the situation about the extra kid.

Naru pondered this for a moment, looking a little troubled. After a minute or so, he admitted "It is possible for spirits to blend into a crowd like this. However, I've never seen it happen myself. This is alarming."

"Why?" I asked. "What's different about this?"

Naru met my gaze and explained. "Generally, spirits remained trapped in this world because of some unfinished business. Because of this, it is in a spirit's nature to attract attention to itself. However, blending into a crowd so well that the spirit can no longer be distinguished from the living has the opposite effect."

"So, you're saying that this spirit isn't trying to attract attention." I clarified. "But then, what does it want?"

"That's what worries me." Naru answered bluntly. "I don't know." Turning to Kara, he added "Do you know who the extra child is, Kara?"

Kara shook her head, bewildered. I was impressed that he'd asked her. That showed a certain amount of trust on Naru's part, whether he'd admit it or not.

"If no one can identify the extra child, then there isn't anything we can do." Naru decided. "As long as the spirit isn't causing any problems, we have no reason to confront it."

"I guess so…" I murmured, still worried. "But I have a bad feeling about this."

At this, Naru turned his gaze back to me. "You have sharp instincts, Mai." He noted plainly. I was immediately spun into a state of confusion. Was that a compliment? It didn't seem like it. I never really forgot the way he compared me to an animal when we found out I was a latent psychic. Is that what he means? Is he comparing me to a wild animal again? What am I, a cat?

I suddenly realised that I was getting angry, and I quickly shook myself back to reality. _Stop it, Mai. He was just making an observation. _

Then he added "Be careful." And my mind spun out of control. Was he worried about me? Or did he just dislike the inconvenience of taking care of me all the time? He does seem to save me from getting hurt an awful lot. I guess I wouldn't blame him for getting tired of it eventually. Am I a burden to him? Is that all I am to him?

Okay, now I'm feeling depressed. I really need to get better control of my reaction to him.

Kara tugged at my arm, pulling me back to reality. "Mommy?" She said, which essentially chased away all my negative thoughts. "I'm scared."

My heart seized up again. I might die of cuteness before we wrapped up this case with the way things were going. I knelt down so I could look Kara right in the eye and said "It's okay Kara, you don't have to be scared. We'll keep you safe."

"Something bad is gonna happen." She insisted, not at all reassured. "I can feel it."

I frowned slightly and gave her a quick, tight hug, but my heart wasn't really in it.

The truth was, I had the same feeling.

Later that night, curled up on a couch with Kara beside me, I had a dream.

It started in the garden behind the orphanage. A young boy was playing by himself, picking the flowers and making a bouquet. Bouncing around and looking lively, it took me a few moments to realise that this was the same boy that had attacked me last night.

From inside the house, a middle-aged woman looked out on the young boy with a smile, before returning to her knitting. A young girl, only a couple years older than the boy playing outside, watched the woman eagerly, as though there was nothing in the world more fascinating than knitting.

_This is the first family_, I realised. The one _that lived here when all the murders happened._ If I remember correctly, it was the father that killed all those kids. He wasn't in this particular scene. I wonder where he was.

Back outside, the boy, who I remembered was named Ryo, wandered away from the garden and started to make his way across the lawn. I went after him and noticed that he was chasing a butterfly. Was this really the same boy who attacked me?

Just as he reached the opposite side of the lawn, he tripped hard and face-planted on the grass. He moaned and rubbed his forehead, but he didn't cry, which I though was pretty impressive for a kid his age. In front of him, the bushes began to rustle. Ryo looked up in surprise, and came face-to-face with a girl who must've been the same age as him. She was wearing a kimono and was holding onto a ball. Her hair was a dark brown and reached past her hips. The girl considered Ryo for a moment, then nervously said "Hi."

Ryo immediately jumped up and brushed himself off. Blushing, he answered "Hello."

An awkward silence fell between the two. The little girl looked at Ryo, then back at his house. She opened her mouth, then closed it, blushing. The two looked away from each other in embarrassment. Then, trying again, she opened her mouth and asked "Do you live here?"

Ryo nodded timidly.

The girl turned and pointed in the opposite direction. I could barely see the outline of another house a couple hundred yards away. "I live there." She said. She turned back to Ryo and said "My name's Kirika Tatchibana. What's yours?"

"It's Ryo Furuka." He answered, still refusing to look directly at Kirika.

Kirika smiled. For her, this seemed to dissipate all the awkward tension between them. She offered him her ball and said "Do you wanna play with me?"

Ryo smiled and nodded, but before either of them could move, a deep voice called out from the house: "Ryo! Get back inside!"

Ryo's smile vanished and he hung his head. He muttered "I have to go." And ran back inside to the figure of a tall man, leaving Kirika where she was, perplexed and still holding out her ball in offering.

A loud banging on the door shook me out of my dream. I bolted off the couch, causing Kara to fall against the cushions which in turn shocked her awake. I quickly oriented myself and realised that I was still at home base, and Naru was giving me a small glare, expecting me to answer the door. I frowned and rushed to the door to open it, only to find a frantic Ayuka on the other side.

"Have you seen Fujiko?" She asked before I could even utter a greeting.

I shook my head, confused. I pulled up a memory of the boy she was talking about. He was the one who approached me about whether Kara was in trouble.

Ayuka looked like she was going to cry. "We can't find him anywhere." She said. "He's completely vanished."

Missing.

A boy has gone missing in a house with a history of murder.

Why do I feel like this is only the beginning?


	7. Chapter 6

**What does Naru do when he wanders off on a case without saying anything to anyone? I decided to explore some of the possibilities in this chapter. It is a bit of a short chapter and it may seem like a filler, but it isn't. So enjoy, and see if you can figure out this case before Naru does. **

**I don't own Ghost Hunt.**

Chapter 6- Naru's POV

I hate it when people go missing on a case I have taken on. Not only does it usually mean that the taken will suffer a tragic fate, but it also means that I failed to do my job fast enough in order to prevent it in the first place, which infuriates me. It also means that we're dealing with a powerful spirit that means to do harm. Most importantly, it means that Mai is in serious danger. She's a magnet for dangerous spirits.

As was natural for me to do, I had immediately gone off to do some extra-curricular research as soon as I heard the news. I had told Lin to make sure he was prepared to call a spirit when I returned and to keep a close watch on Mai and Kara. At the latter request, I'd gotten a strange look Lin, which I hadn't understood. Lin knew as well as I did how often that girl got in trouble, and my instincts were telling me that Kara might be just as effective at attracting danger. It was perfectly logical to make sure they were both well looked after.

My first stop was at the local police department to look into the case files of the murders. Considering how old the case was, I was rather surprised to find out that not only did they still have the files, they were also in relatively good condition.

The case itself presented a few mysteries that could explain the phenomena occurring today, but in order to be sure I needed to see the official reports. The folder itself contained some very old black and white photographs of the crime scene and the suspect arrested, as well as the reports of police who were there and the interviews with the suspect. The last was what I was most interested in.

Mr. Furuka had been charged with the kidnapping and murder of 20 children, one of the children being his own flesh and blood. However, according to the report I was reading, he only admitted to killing his son and refused to plead guilty for the remaining 19 kids. When asked about who the murderer of the other children was, he never answered, and thus ended up being charged. The curious part about this is that there was never any physical evidence to indicate that Mr. Furuka had murdered the other children. Of course, back then, the evidence available for police forces to analyse was very limited.

The most interesting part about this case is that the son of Furuka, Ryo Furuka, was murdered by multiple stab wounds in the back. The other 19 children, however, were killed by stab wounds from the front. Another inconsistency is that Ryo had no other wounds on his body where the other children suffered many blunt force trauma wounds all over their bodies. Investigators at the time theorized that the reason for the difference was the connection between father and son. That is to say, he felt bad enough about murdering his own child that he did not torture him like he did to the others. That theory is ridiculous. A man who can beat and murder children will not feel any form of empathy or sympathy, be it to a stranger or his own child.

This leads me to believe that Furuka was telling the truth when he said he didn't murder the other 19 children. My first assumption would be to turn to the other members of his family, so I returned the files to the police and made my way over to the local church that the files had briefly mentioned.

The church had limited files on the subject matter, but I did discover that all members of the Furuka family attended church every Sunday and were devout Catholics. I obtained pictures of the family. I approached an elderly priest about the topic and he claimed that after the murders, the mother and daughter moved to a town called Okuriyama in the Onuma District. With this, I was able to track down the Furuka daughter.

According to my new information, the daughter died several years back, which was disappointing, as she would have been the only member of the family left alive who personally experienced the events of 73 years ago. However, her daughter was now in her mid-fifties and was still alive and easy to contact. Without a second thought, I dug up her phone number and gave her a call, asking about her mother. Unfortunately, when she discovered that I was investigating the murders, she refused to speak over the phone and insisted that I meet her personally. Fortunately, she lived only an hour away, so I could meet her and be back fast enough.

I jumped into the car and drove out to the country address I'd been given over the phone. The place was secluded, already a ten minute drive from the nearest town. Apparently, she'd moved away from Okuriyama many years previously.

The house I finally found was barely more than a shack in my opinion. It was a small, square house with fading and peeling paint on the walls and a roof missing more than a few shingles. I noted with a sly smile that this was the sort of house you would expect to find a murderer in. Ironic.

The lady who answered the door, whose name was Yuri Ichinose, was an aging woman with a large smile on her face. I groaned inwardly. I hoped dearly she wouldn't insist that I looked at all the pictures she had of her grandchildren.

"Good Afternoon." I started. "My name is Kazuya Shibuya. We spoke on the phone an hour ago regarding your grandfather and the incidents he was imprisoned for." That may have been a little blunt.

Regardless, Ichinose nodded and invited me into her house with a wave of her arm. "Indeed you did. Come in and ask me your questions. I will answer them to the best of my abilities."

I accepted her invitation and entered her house. She led me to a sitting room and offered me a seat. She asked me if I would like a cup of tea, which I naturally accepted. She returned a few minutes later with the tea and some extra items. One of them was a photo album, and I feared the worst.

However, when she opened the photo album, it turned out to be a memorabilia of the Furuka family. Ichinose pointed to a photo of the four of them together. "That is my mother there, with my grandmother, grandfather and uncle. This picture was taken two months before my uncle was murdered and my grandfather imprisoned."

My interest piqued and I looked closer at the picture. The daughter in the picture had a normal, happy smile typical to a child her age. Both parents had grim looks on their faces, as though they knew the worst was yet to come. The boy was glaring at the camera as though it had wronged him somehow. This picture spoke legions on the emotions of the family at the time of the murders.

"Did you know your grandmother?" Was my first question.

She nodded. "My grandmother was a gentle lady." She said. "She didn't like talking about my grandfather. She was ashamed of him, my mother told me. She didn't want to associate with a murderer."

That was a common reaction for a person who knew someone who turned out to be a murderer. However, it was an interesting choice of words if you take into consideration that her own child had been murdered by this man. I asked "How about your mother?"

She answered. "My mother was a loving person who cared too much, I think. She never hated my grandfather for his actions. She always insisted that he was simply a very sick man who had needed help and hadn't received any."

I considered this for a second and decided that it wasn't important. "Can you recount to me what happened based on what your mother has told you?"

"Certainly." She answered. "My mother, her brother and her parents moved into a large house in a small town 75 years ago. Approximately two years later, children from the town began disappearing one by one until not a single family was untouched by these disappearances, with the sole exception of my mother's family. Because of this, and also because of the strangeness of the family, they began to suspect them of being behind the vanishing children."

"What is it you mean by the strangeness of the family?" I interrupted. This was the only new piece of information to me.

"My mother told me that it was because of her brother." She answered. "He rarely every left the yard. He was forbidden to by my grandparents. My mother never fully understood why, but she once told me that she had vague recollections of strange things happening around my brother."

"What kind of strange things?"

She thought for a moment. "My mother claimed that things would move on their own, and glass would shatter. However, these were early memories. By the time she was ten, any strangeness that occurred around her brother had stopped. It was around this time they moved to the new house."

So the boy had been psychokinetic. This would explain why his spirit was so much stronger than the other spirits trapped in the house. It also meant that he was likely the spirit behind the extra child. It still did not explain his purpose. "Do you believe your grandparents feared their son?"

She nodded. "Most certainly. I believe that is why he was kept in seclusion even after the incidents had stopped. I understand from my mother that he was very introverted and didn't talk much to anyone. Apparently, he would often spend days locked up in his room, which is why she didn't question it when he disappeared for two days."

"And after two days?"

"After two days the townspeople broke into the house and found my grandfather hunched over the dead body of my uncle. The bodies of the other children were found in the basement, which my mother had always been forbidden to answer. My grandfather was charged and my mother and grandmother moved away."

I sorted through this new information in my mind and added it to the timeline I had formed. A good understanding of the past is the key to understanding a haunting. To my annoyance, this did not shed any light on what truly happened. The pictures in front of me as well as the vague descriptions given by this lady led me to believe that the true murderer was not another member of the family. But this family had lived completely separate from the people around them. Nothing I had unearthed suggested that any one member had a close friend or distant relative that they spent time with. If there weren't any records of outside attachments, then I have no leads on the true murderer.

I gritted my teeth. Every minute I waste is another minute that a child remains missing. They will not find that boy until this case is solved, I am sure of this. In order to solve this, I need two questions answered: Who is behind the haunting, and what do they want.

What do they want? What is it that Ryo Furuka desires? His body was discovered. He was most certainly murdered by his father, who was brought to justice. He has no motive. He should have passed on long ago. And yet, he is the most powerful and the most troublesome spirit of them all.

Clearly I am missing a key detail.

It soon became clear that there was nothing else Ichinose could tell me, so I bid her farewell. The conversation had been quick enough that my tea was only half finished, which wasn't a particular shame since it had been awful anyways. I began to make my way back to the orphanage.

When I return, I thought, Lin will perform his spirit summoning. We will call forth Ryo Furuka and hopefully we will finally get some answers.


	8. Chapter 7

**Well…. This chapter is overdue. Sorry about that. I hope you enjoy it anyways!**

**I don't own ghost hunt.**

Chapter 7- Mai's POV

I've been working for Naru for years now, so you'd figure that I'd be used to his random disappearances in the middle of a case. The truth is that it still annoys me to no end. Would it kill him to tell us where he was going, or what he was doing? To make matters worse, Kara was ready to burst with anxiety waiting for Naru to return. If he didn't show up soon, glass was going to start breaking.

Kara had been really upset to find out that one of the kids from the orphanage had gone missing. She'd spent two full hours scouring the building trying to find something, which was an hour longer than anyone else searched. The building was big, but it only took around ten minutes to cover the whole place. It was interesting to see her work so hard for this kid, considering that he, from what I'd seen, disliked her more than any of the other kids here.

When Kara couldn't find anything, I tried to keep her occupied with various tasks. Lin was getting ready to summon Ryo Furuka. Kara and I had suggested he set up in the basement. He was just about ready, and we were all now waiting for Naru to show up so we could get this show on the road.

Meanwhile, I took Kara to home base and had her help me arrange the data gathered from the last two days. We'd gotten a lot of different things on camera and on tape, everything from whispers and laughing to shadowy figures in the majority of the rooms across the house. It was a really good response, but none of the data collected gave us any useful information. The best we'd gotten so far was my encounter with Ryo the first night.

"We've got a lot of different things from the basement and the attic." I was saying out loud to myself as I looked over the various charts. "Two of the bedrooms get a lot of sounds, too, and the camera out back picked up some shadowy apparitions last night."

"Which bedrooms?" Kara asked from over my shoulder, which nearly made me jump out of my skin from shock. I'd thought she was on the couch.

I showed her the two bedrooms on the house layout. She frowned. Pointing at the second floor bedroom, she said "That was Ryo's room. And that-" she pointed at the first floor bedroom "was his dad's room."

I knew better than to ask her how she knew that. She was a latent psychic living in a haunted house. That was good enough for me. "So what about the other three spots?" I asked.

Kara narrowed her eyes in concentration, still staring at the floor plan of the house. "I think Ryo played in the basement and backyard with his friends. The attic was the dad's special place just for him."

"Okay, so," I started, thinking out loud. "The hot spots in the house are all places that have some sort of value to either Ryo Furuka or his father. Naru said that Ryo is the strongest spirit here, so I guess that would make sense, but why the dad? He was locked up, so I would guess that he died in jail years ago. Maybe he came back to this house after he died."

"Maybe he was the one who took Fujiko." Kara suggested.

My blood went cold as my mind was flooded with memories of an enormous labyrinth of a house that had contained a dead serial killer in its walls. People had gone missing on that case, too. One by one, taken by a dead murderer into the depths of the house where they were drained of their lifeblood. Is something like that happening here, too? Is Fujiko even alive? I didn't even want to think about it.

"I hope not." I said out loud. I got up off my chair and continued "How about we go take a look at these places?"

Kara nodded and grabbed hold of my hand as we made our way out of the room and into the hall. Being on the third floor, the first place to look would be the attic. I pulled the ladder down from the hatch and we climbed up into the dusty area. I instantly started coughing. I've always hated attics. They're dusty and full of evil spiders.

In any case, I ignored my unease and walked straight to the center of the room where a circular rug covered the floor. I looked to Kara and asked "Do you feel anything, or see anything?"

Kara shook her head.

Ok then, I guess it was up to me. I took a deep, steadying breath and closed my eyes. I'd only managed to willingly do this a couple times before, and I tried hard to remember what Masako had told me about controlling it.

_Listen to your surroundings. Calm your emotions. Silence your mind. You have to be completely open and vulnerable to your surrounding atmosphere. _

I tried to do as she said and calm myself, taking a deep, relaxing breath. I closed my eyes and tried to think of nothing while focusing on everything around me. I could hear Kara's breathing and the faint noise of activity from several floor below. I could taste the dust in the air and feel the musty atmosphere. At last, when I finally felt completely relaxed, I reached out with my mind.

I don't know what I was looking for, exactly. I guess I wanted definitive proof that the killer was still here. What I got was a lot more than I'd anticipated.

At first, all I could hear was the quiet sobbing. It was low and ragged, definitely male. I opened my eyes to see what was going on. I hadn't moved, I knew, but I was taken aback by the difference in my surroundings. The cobwebs were all gone and everything was neat and organised. Near the small window at the back of the attic was a large rocking chair, and in it was a man. He had his face in his hands.

I glanced behind me for a second just to see if Kara was still here, only to find that I was alone with this sobbing man. I started to feel anxious. What is this? What's going on?

I turned back to face the sobbing man and let out a scream when I realised that he was now standing right in front of me. My heart rate doubled and my body froze. The man's face… his face was… deathly. It was grey and sunken, making his eyes seem twice as large as they should be. Streaming from those eyes were a series of large tears.

The man brought his hands forth as though he was offering me something, and another yelp escaped me. His hands were covered in blood, pure red and dripping as though it was fresh.

That's when I realised: This is him, the father. This is the man who killed all those children.

Even knowing that, I couldn't force myself to run. My body was completely frozen to the spot. And… well… something wasn't right. Why was he crying?

The man suddenly opened his mouth and spoke in an old wizened voice "_I had to… I had no choice… I had to…" _

Another voice suddenly came to me, like an echo. "Mommy!"

Kara, I thought.

In that instance, the scene before me shattered and I was back in the dusty and decrepit version of the attic. I was on the floor for some reason, and Kara was kneeling beside me looking like she was about to cry. I immediately shot up and gave her a hug.

"Sorry," I started. "I didn't think it would work. I'm okay now. It's okay."

Kara gripped me back tightly. "You fell." She told me. "You were saying funny things, too."

I pulled back so that only my hands rested on her shoulder and asked "What was I saying?"

Kara bit her lip, still looking nervous, and answered "You were saying things like 'I had no choice' and 'all my fault' and stuff like that."

I thought about this for a moment. The first part made sense, seeing as that was what the old man said to me, but the second part was a bit of a mystery. What was his fault? Was he admitting to having killed those kids? For some reason, I don't think that's what he meant, at least, not exactly. Something wasn't right. I mean, why was he crying? Why did he tell me he had no choice? It almost sounded like he was trying to justify his actions, and that just didn't seem like something a serial killer would do.

In any case, I'd already had enough of the attic, so I took Kara and went down to the first floor. My nerves were in need of some bustling, living activity to chase away the image of that man's face. Just as we got to the first floor, I was greeted with a sight that I both wanted and feared:

Naru was back.

Dang, I guess it's time to summon a spirit.

Fifteen minutes later, Naru, myself, Lin, Kara and Ayuka were all gathered in the basement behind Lin's spirit summoning setup. The lights were off and the only thing illuminating the area was the candle in the middle of Lin's small table. Kara was holding tightly onto my hand and Ayuka was looking like she might faint, but both had insisted on being here for the summoning.

Naru gave Lin a slight nod, telling him to proceed. Lin then sat before the table and began to procedure. I don't know exactly what he does, just that he writes down the name, birthday and date of death. When he was done that, he sat up straight and concentrated, making this lovely, peaceful sound that filled the space and calmed everyone's nerves.

Then the spirit appeared.

It first looked like nothing more than a soft, blue light. After a second, it solidified and took the form of a young boy. I knew it was Ryo right away. It's hard to mistake the face that scared me half to death. He didn't look straight at us, instead looking down at the floor. He made no sudden movements, but Kara was gripping my hand a lot tighter.

Naru stepped forward and began with his questions. "Are you Ryo Furuka?"

He nodded.

"Are you aware that you are no longer among the living?"

He nodded.

"Do you know who killed you?"

He nodded. My heart began to beat double time.

"Was it your father?"

He nodded. He didn't even seem distressed.

Naru narrowed his eyes. "Did your father kill the other nineteen children who were murdered in this house?"

He shook his head no.

No. He didn't murder the other children. But then… why? I don't understand…

The candle began to flicker erratically, which was of course impossible because there wasn't a breeze down here. I glanced down at Kara, silently asking if it was her, and she shrugged back at me, equally perplexed.

Suddenly, the screams of children began to fill the basement. Loud, pleading, heart-wrenching screams that made me want to curl up into a ball and cry. Kara let go of me to cover her ears and I did the same, in a desperate attempt to block out the sounds. It was awful.

Lin spoke up, nearly having to yell to make himself heard. "Naru, time's up."

Naru yelled one last question "Are you responsible for keeping the other children trapped in this house!?"

The noise suddenly stopped, giving way to a deafening silence. Ryo slowly turned his head until he was staring at us with his pitch black eyes. He opened his mouth and said in a quiet, echoing voice "They're my friends."

The candle burnt out and we were plunged into darkness. The sound of furniture scraping came to me, and at the last second I realised what was happening and dove to the floor, taking Kara with me. I heard a scream, and from the pitch I had to guess it was Ayuka.

Suddenly, the lights flickered on and I was momentarily blinded by the unexpected light. Naru called out my name and I answered "I'm fine! Kara and I are both fine!"

I pushed myself up off the floor and checked myself and Kara just to make sure. I was almost surprised to find that I didn't even have a scratch. I can't believe I got out of that unscathed. Then I remembered the scream, and instantly started to search for Ayuka. I found her almost right away.

She was lying limp against the wall behind me, underneath the table that Lin had been using, now split in two.

My instincts had been right. That sound had been the sound of the table moving in our direction. Ayuka had been standing behind me. If I hadn't ducked when I did, both me and Kara would've been hurt as well.

My momentary relief was washed away by sudden panic. I ran over to her and pushed the broken table off of her. I called out to her but she didn't answer. She was bleeding from somewhere on her head, which made me even more frantic.

Naru calmly came over and checked her. After a second, he told Lin to call an ambulance.

"Naru," I asked, "Is Ayuka okay?"

"She's suffered some mild head trauma, but she should be all right." He answered, stepping back from Ayuka. "But this is a bad sign."

"What is?" I insisted. "What is it?"

He paused for a second, then answered "This was a powerful reaction. Even more concerning is the amount of rage that went into that attack. It's possible that this child spirit means to do harm."

"Harm?" I responded with alarm. "What kind of harm?"

"I'm not sure," He answered. "But I can say this: the boy who went missing is in terrible danger, and he may not be the last."


End file.
